Hi allNew to this, we only picked up Ziva yesterday. At the breeders she was trained to the pad but we have decided to immediately get her started to going outside. As you can expect, we take her out after her meal, waking up and when she appears to be sniffing around. Outside we lead her around and she's very interested in everything except doing what we took her ther for. as soon as she comes inside she has a on the pad. I know it's early yet but would it be an idea to put take the pad outside when we take her and see if she uses it then or should we discontinue the pad altogether. Your thoughts will be much appreciated. Alan & Jean

If she only arrived yesterday would it really be a good idea change it now. Having a pup is quite stressful anyway for you and the pup (just like a baby). I used pads for Lulu for months and still took her outside and used the words "wee wee" etc. So the two went hand in hand so as to speak. If you take the pads away she may get confused. You know your pup so it is up to you to see how she reacts and if she finds other places to go to the toilet. Good luck. Lots of pics please and let us all know how she is getting on

I agree, it's good she's learned to go on a pad indoors and soon the outdoor visits will gradually make sense to her. Everything is new and confusing to a little pup. We took Dude outside every hour, on the lead, for wees( and poos)Try to keep wee time separate from playtime. When she wees say "wee wee, good girl" It was easier for us because it was the summer, but after awhile pups get the idea. We have never used a crate so it was important to get Dude to go outside, not inside( I even took him for a wee at 3am so that he never had accidents at night) This all takes time( months, not weeks)Look forward to seeing pup pix. Anny and Dude.

My 2 were not pad trained but were crated. I got up with them in the night for the first month. They did have the occasional accident in the house (usually when it was raining) but they caught on really quickly. They never weed in their crates even at 8 weeks. I found the whole process far easier than I remembered with my last dog. Now at 9 months they sleep from 10pm to 6.30am without a murmur. Enjoy this stage & try not to get too stressed, the time flies by and other things will come along to take the place of your toileting issues. Mine are at the "teenage" stage now. I feel that the money spent at training classes has not been well spent. I console myself with the phrase "this too shall pass" I just worry what will take it's place!!Olly, Echo & Whisper

A good tip I've always followed( learned from my Mum who always had dogs/pups)is never feed later than 6pm, and last drink at 9pm. We've always taken dogs for last visit to the garden around 11 just before we go to bed. A new pup won't be able to wait til morning, but if you can face getting up at 3/4am for a quick trip outside it will pay dividends. Hope that helps. Anny

If she has been trained on a mat, I wouldn't do away with it just yet. I would move it 'just outside' and take her out at least every hour. Give her a command on the mat when she performs, to let her know she is doing right and then praise her/treat her like mad. Once she knows what the command means, she should perform anywhere in the garden. Take her out every hour, after each meal/drink and especially after sleeping. If you watch her, you will see the signs that she wants to relieve herself. Good luck, hope the cold weather doesn't put her off too much.

Many thanks to all for your advice. Would you believe it, a week has passed and Ziva very rarely has an accident inside. She sleeps in her crate at night and we never hear anything from her until about 6.30-6.45 each morning. We take her out straight away and hey presto!! Regular visits into the garden during the day is also very successful. We put a pad into her crate at night but she's never used it. Vet says she can go for proper walks from Tuesday........can't wait. Thanks again for your help.Alan&Jean

Hmmmm Lulu has just started to settle down actually (she says with a smug face). But apparently according to our dog sitter she is very emotional. In fact she goes totally berserk if we go out and Come back in again. That is even just getting something from the car and coming straight in. She goes totally nuts